larkins



NITE STATES T ATENT OFFICE.

SIGNALING SYSTEM.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 558,820, dated April 21, 1896. A u i fil d October 12,1894. Serial No. 525,716. (No model.) Patented in England September 21, 1893. No. 17,'778.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WALTER FARQUHAR LARKINS, a subject of the Queen of Great Britain, and a resident of 104: Harley Street, London, England, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Signaling, with especial reference to the International Code of Signals, (patented in Great Britain, No. 17,778, September 21, 1893,) of which the following is a specification.

My invention consists in a system of signaling comprising two semaphorearms only (having the important characteristics hereinafter explained) for signaling by day the international alphabetical code, which for the purpose is divided into vertical columns and horizontal lines, so that the said distinctive semaphore-arms,when exhibited together and on opposite sides of a post or mast, may be made to indicate by their position any letter, word, sentence, or character whatsoever in any code contained. Two semaphore-arms only are used, each of which has a distinctive character either as to color or design of its marking. Both arms are always used in combination and never singly. The arms are always exhibited on opposite sides of the mast, never both on the same side. The function of each arm is separate and distinct from that of the other arm. The position of one arm indicates the number of line and the position of the other arm indicates the number of the column in which the designated letter or character is to be found. The value of one arm-viz., the column-indicating arm-is the same on either side of the mast. The two arms can be made to designate eighteen different letters of a code with only six movements.

In the annexed drawings, Figure 1 represents a semaphore and code as employed according to my system, the line-arm a being in position to designate the second line on the left and the column-line bin position to designate the first column, the letter 0 being thus signaled. Fig. 2 is a similar view with the semaphorearms in position to signal the letter H in the sixth line and first column of the code. Fig. 3 represents the code-table as usually arranged in signal-books.

For the purposes of my improved system of day signaling I employ a semaphore comprising two arms a 22, Figs. 1 and 2, such as have been or are in use for semaphore or railway signals. These arms a b Imay pivot to a mast c or I may otherwise exhibit them. On the top of the mast projecting from the left side I fix a ball d or other object, but by preference a ball, to indicate to the observer the proper side of the mast from which to read 01f signals. The arms a b are fixed in pairs and work on the same pivot 6 independently of each other, and three or four pairs (or more, if required) may be fitted on the same mast, one below the other, at convenient intervals of space in grooves or otherwise, or instead of having three or four pairs of arms on one mast single pairs of arms may be fitted on two, three, or more masts placed in a row, allowing a convenient distance between the masts, provided the left-hand mast has the ball above referred to fixed at the top.

The functions of the two arms are separate and distinct, and it is accordingly essential that they should differ in appearance in such manner as to insure as far as possible that the one shall be clearly distinguishable from the other at a distance. One arm, (1,18 therefore preferably colored black, and the other arm, I), is black and white either in stripes or dots, as shown, or has other distinctive marking or coloring.

The arms may be respectively elevated or lowered into the positions indicated by the dotted lines of Figs. 1 and 2, or into such positions as may be required-namely: position 1, upward at an angle of about forty-five degrees, not less; position 2, horizontal or at right angles to the mast; position 3, downward at an angle of about forty-five degrees, not less.

lVhen no signaling is going on the arms are not visible. Their use when at work will be found explained in the following remarks:

The international code of signals is, as at present in use, worked with eighteen flags, and the signs employed to represent these symbols are eighteen letters of the alphabet, B to WV, (all vowels being omitted.) The table of flags in all signal-books is arranged in three columns of six letters in each column, as particularly shown in Fig. 3. It is obvious that if I number the columns and lines as indicated in Fig. 3 column 2, line 3, would give letter L, or line 4, column 3, letter T.

To carry out my method I take the table of letters (or flags) and dividing it into two, I place one half (the first three upper lines) on the left and the other half (the lower three lines) on the right of the mast, as in Figs. 1 and 2. I name one of the arms, and by preference the plain black arm a, the linearm, because its function is to point to any one of the siX lines right or left of the mast which contains the letter signaled or required to be signaled. The other arm, Z), I call the column-arm, because its function is to indicate by its positio11-first, upward; second, horizontal, or third, downward on either side of the mast-the column in which to find the particular'letter signaledi. c. the first, sec- 0nd, or third in the line pointed to by the other arm. Thus by hoisting any two arms simultaneously into their respective positions, as required, and always on opposite sides of the mast, any one of the letters-in the table can be indicated at once, and by similarly hoisting any two, three, or four pairs of arms it is possible by my method to signal with ease and rapidity any word, sentence, number, or communication whatsoever in any code contained. Thus in Fig. 1 the line-arm is at the second or horizontal position, indicating the second line, and the column-arm is at the upward or first position, indicating the first column. The letter signaled is therefore 0.

111 Fig. 2 the lino-arm a occupies the sixth position, or the third position on that side of the mast, and therefore indicates the sixth line in the table, Fig. 3, or the third line of the table on that side of the mast, and the column arm b is in the first position, indicating the first column. The letter signaled is therefore II.

By reference to the numbered lines in Fig. 1, representing the positions to which the arms a and b are to be turned, as required, it will be seen that the said arms used together may thus be made to readily designate and distinguish the eighteen different letters of the international code.

hat I claim, and desire to secure by Let ters Patent, is

The herein-described means for signaling, consisting of two semaphore-arms, only, the

said arms being distinctive in character and arranged when in operation on opposite sides of a mast or support and in variable positions, the position of one arm being indicative of the number of line and the'position of the other arm indicative of the number of column in which is to be found the required letter or character of a code in which the letters or characters are arranged in horizontal lines and vertical columns, substantially as described.

In witness whereof I have hereto signed my name, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses, this 29th day of August, 1894:.

WALTER FARQUIIAR LARKTNS.

\Vitnesses LEWIS JAs. DRAKE BRoOKMAN, REGINALD GOSLING. 

